先秦 Pre-Qin · 诗经 Classic of Poetry
月出
The Moon Rises
月出皎兮，佼人僚兮。
舒窈纠兮，劳心悄兮。
月出皓兮，佼人懰兮。
舒忧受兮，劳心慅兮。
月出照兮，佼人燎兮。
舒夭绍兮，劳心惨兮。
Slow and graceful her step—my heart aches still.
The moon comes forth gleaming; the fair one is radiant.
Slow and tender her step—my heart is stirred.
The moon comes forth shining; the fair one is bright.
Slow and swaying her step—my heart is in pain.
Meaning
The moon comes forth bright; the fair one is lovely. Slow and graceful her step—my heart aches still. The moon comes forth gleaming; the fair one is radiant. Slow and tender her step—my heart is stirred. The moon comes forth shining; the fair one is bright. Slow and swaying her step—my heart is in pain.
月亮出来多皎洁啊，美人儿多么俏丽啊。她步履舒缓身姿窈窕啊，叫我心里忧愁烦扰啊。月亮出来多明亮啊，美人儿多么秀丽啊。她步履舒缓体态轻柔啊，叫我心里焦躁不安啊。月亮出来光照耀啊，美人儿多么光彩啊。她身姿夭袅连绵啊，叫我心里凄惨忧伤啊。
Appreciation
Three stanzas of four lines, all in repeated variation, changing only four groups of words—moon (bright / gleaming / shining), person (lovely / radiant / bright), manner (graceful / tender / swaying), feeling (ache / stirred / pain); turning and returning, the mood deepens. The 'xi' sits mid-line, the form loose and slow, like the rhythm of a moonlit walk alone; the bright moon sets off the fair one's shadow, scene, person and feeling blended, dim and ethereal, opening the later 'moonlit longing' mood.
【白话串讲】 “月出皎兮，佼人僚兮”——月亮升起来，那么皎洁；那个美人，那么姣好。一个人在月光下想一个人，“劳心悄兮”——心，悄悄地乱。三千年前的月色，比现在的还温柔。 【意象与手法】 三章章四句，全以重章叠句出之，仅换月（皎/皓/照）、人（僚/懰/燎）、态（窈纠/忧受/夭绍）、情（悄/慅/惨）四组词，回环往复而意境转深。「兮」字居中，句式错落舒缓，如月下独步之节奏；以明月清辉衬佳人倩影，景、人、情交融，朦胧空灵，开后世「月下怀人」意境之先。 【情感与主旨】 《月出》出自《诗经·陈风》。陈国地处淮水流域，巫鬼歌舞之风盛行（《汉书·地理志》谓陈「好祭祀，用史巫」），其诗多涉游观、乐舞与男女之情。本诗写男子于月夜怀想一位步履舒缓、容貌佼好的女子，清辉之下情思绵绵。旧说《诗序》以为「刺好色也」，今人多视为纯粹的月下相思抒情诗。 【名句点睛】 中高考赏析常考：①重章叠句与换字递进营造的意境；②以月起兴、景中寓情的手法；③「劳心悄兮」等词的情感层次。
Background
'The Moon Rises' comes from the 'Airs of Chen' in the 'Book of Songs'. Chen lay in the Huai valley, where witch-and-ghost song and dance prevailed (the 'Han Geography' says Chen 'loves sacrifice, uses historians and witches'); its poems often touch touring, music and men-and-women feeling. This poem writes a man thinking by moonlight of a woman of slow step and fair face, his feeling lingering under the clear light. The old 'Preface' took it as 'satirizing lust'; moderns read it as a pure moonlit love lyric, no satire.
《月出》出自《诗经·陈风》，共三章，每章四句。陈国地处淮水流域（今河南东部、安徽西北部一带），巫鬼歌舞之风盛行，《汉书·地理志》谓陈「好祭祀，用史巫」，其诗多涉游观、乐舞与男女之情，故《陈风》十篇多写情爱，风格轻灵而多哀思。本诗写男子于月夜怀想一位步履舒缓、容貌佼好的女子，清辉之下情思绵绵，是《诗经》中最早、最纯粹的月下怀人诗。旧说《诗序》以为「刺好色也」，今人多视为纯粹的月下相思抒情诗，无关讽刺。全诗三章重章叠句，仅换数字而境界递深，开后世「月下怀人」意境之先河，对张若虚《春江花月夜》、苏轼《水调歌头》等以月写情的作品影响深远，是《诗经》情诗中最富审美价值的名篇之一。陈国地处淮、汝之间，巫风盛行，其乐舞多涉男女之情，《陈风》如《宛丘》《东门之枌》皆写歌舞情爱；《月出》以月夜怀人写情，正是陈地「巫觋歌舞、男女相悦」风气的文学结晶，其空灵之致又超乎一般情诗之上。此诗影响深远，后世「月出皎兮」成为月夜怀人的套语，宋人苏轼《前赤壁赋》「诵明月之诗，歌窈窕之章」即咏此诗，可见其在古典文学中的经典地位。
Art
Three stanzas of four lines, all in repeated variation, changing only four groups—moon, person, manner, feeling; turning and returning, the mood deepens. The 'xi' sits mid-line, the form loose and slow, like a moonlit walk alone; the bright moon sets off the fair one's shadow, scene, person and feeling blended, dim and ethereal, opening the later 'moonlit longing' mood.
三章章四句，全以重章叠句出之，仅换月（皎/皓/照）、人（僚/懰/燎）、态（窈纠/忧受/夭绍）、情（悄/慅/惨）四组词，回环往复而意境转深。「兮」字居中，句式错落舒缓，如月下独步之节奏；以明月清辉衬佳人倩影，景、人、情交融，朦胧空灵。首章「月出皎兮」以皎月起兴，月光之洁与美人之洁相映；「舒窈纠兮」写其步履舒缓、身姿窈窕，如月光下幻影；「劳心悄兮」直抒忧思。二三章换「皓」「照」，月光愈明，美人之态愈见其丽（懰、燎），而词人之忧亦由「悄」而「慅」而「惨」，层层加深。全诗不着一事，纯以月、人、情三者的光影变化写相思，朦胧缥缈，正是《诗经》中写情最空灵之作。全诗三章，每章四句，句句嵌「兮」字，音节曼长；「月出」「佼人」「舒」「劳心」四组意象在每章中依次复现而递进，如月升中天、情思渐浓，章法之妙正在这「重复中的变化」，是重章叠句艺术最纯粹的体现。每章四句自成一境，三章合观则如月之升、情之深，复沓之中自有层次，正是重章叠句「以简驭繁、以复写深」的艺术极致。
Allusions
The poem cites no history or myth, pure scene-feeling blend for longing. 'Fair one' means a beauty; 'lovely' 'radiant' 'bright' all describe beauty; 'slow and graceful' etc. write a slow step and slender form, all descriptive. 'My heart aches' 'ache' is a look of worry. The whole stresses mood-making, not allusion; appreciation should stress its dim beauty and repeated-line wonder.
本诗无征引史事神话之典，纯以情景交融写相思，正见《陈风》「不假故实、直写性情」的本色。「佼人」即美人，「僚」「懰」「燎」皆状美好之貌：「僚」言其俏丽，「懰」言其妩媚，「燎」言其光彩照人，三字递进，写美人如月愈明而愈丽。「舒窈纠」「舒忧受」「舒夭绍」皆写步履舒缓、身姿窈窕之态，「窈纠」言其体态之美、「忧受」言其行步之缓、「夭绍」言其体貌之妍，三组联绵词极尽形容，音节柔曼。「劳心悄」之「悄」为忧貌，「慅」为不安，「惨」为凄怆，情随月明而愈深。全诗重在意境营造，不假故实，赏析当重其朦胧之美、叠句之妙与「月下美人」意象的开拓之功。「窈纠」「忧受」「夭绍」三组联绵词，皆状美人之态而音节柔曼，与「兮」字相配，读来如见美人缓步月下；联绵词的运用是《诗经》状物写态的重要手段，此诗用至三组而不重复，正是陈风「善状物态」的体现。「劳心」一词，《诗经》中屡见（如《柏舟》「劳心悄悄」），此诗三章三用而各换一字，承《柏舟》之脉而更见绵邈，是《诗经》情语递变的一例。
Commentary
Zhu Xi's 'Commentary' says 'this too is a man and woman pleasing each other and missing each other'. The Qing Chen Jikui, in 'Reading the Book of Songs: A Supplement', calls it 'a lone moon hung in the sky, the fair one rarely met; writing scene and longing, truly wondrous'. Moderns praise it as the 'Airs' first poem to write 'a beauty under the moon'; its ethereal mood deeply influenced later poetry (as 'Spring River, Flower, Moon, Night').
朱熹《诗集传》谓「此亦男女相悦而相念之辞」，破《诗序》「刺好色」之旧说，近人多从之。清代陈继揆《读诗臆补》称「孤月悬空，佳人罕遇，写景怀人，可谓奇绝」。今人誉其为《国风》中「最先写出月下美人」的篇章，其空灵意境对后世诗词影响深远：张若虚《春江花月夜》之「可怜楼上月裴回」，李白《静夜思》之「举头望明月」，皆可于此诗见其端绪。「月出皎兮」的起兴方式，更成为后世「月夜怀人」母题的源头；其以重章叠句写情思递进的手法，也为后世民歌所继承，是《诗经》中艺术成就最高的情诗之一，千载之下读之，犹觉月光清辉拂面。近人钱钟书《管锥编》评此诗「以月写美人，为千古月下怀人之祖」，并谓后世「月明人倚楼」诸作皆自此出；此诗以二十余字营造的朦胧意境，千载之下犹觉其美，是《诗经》中以少胜多的艺术奇迹。此诗向为《诗经》选本必收，其「月出皎兮」四字，更成为中国文学中「月夜怀人」的经典起兴，与《关雎》之雎鸠、《蒹葭》之秋水并称《诗经》三大起兴意象。
Prosody
Line by line
月出皎兮，佼人僚兮。
The moon comes forth bright; the fair one is lovely.
月亮出来多皎洁啊，美人儿多么俏丽啊。
The moon rises, so bright and clear; oh, the lovely lady, how exquisite she is!
以月起兴，景美人娇，立朦胧意境。「月出皎兮」写月光之皎洁，起兴即写景，月光清辉洒落，天地一片明净；「佼人僚兮」写美人俏丽，「僚」状其美好之貌。月光之洁与美人之丽相映，景即是人、人即是景，朦胧之中自见深情。此句奠定了全诗「月下怀人」的基本意象格局，是后世无数「月与美人」诗篇的滥觞。月之皎与人之僚相映，景即是人、人即是景，朦胧之中自见深情。起兴即写景，开后世「月下怀人」之先河。
Rising on the moon, scene beautiful and woman tender, it establishes a hazy mood. The moon rises, so bright and clear writes the purity of moonlight, rising at once on the scene: clear radiance falling, all earth luminous. Oh, the lovely lady, how exquisite she is! writes the beauty of the beloved, exquisite picturing her loveliness. The moon's purity and the lady's beauty set each other off: scene is person, person is scene; hazy feeling speaks of itself. The line fixes the basic imagery of thinking of someone beneath the moon, the source of countless later poems on moon and beauty. Rising at once on the scene, it opens the later tradition of moonlight longing.
舒窈纠兮，劳心悄兮。
Slow and graceful her step—my heart aches still.
她步履舒缓身姿窈窕啊，叫我心里忧愁烦扰啊。
Slowly she moves, so graceful and slender; oh, it weighs upon my heart with quiet sorrow.
人态与心情呼应，以柔笔写深愁。「舒窈纠兮」写美人步履舒缓、身姿窈窕，「舒」写其从容之态，「窈纠」状其体态之美，如月光下缓缓而来的倩影；「劳心悄兮」直写词人之忧，「悄」为忧思貌。美人之娴静与词人之烦忧相对，愈见其美而愈不可及，相思之愁在舒缓的节奏中悄然弥漫，正是以柔笔写深愁的典范。美人之舒与词人之悄相对，愈见其美而愈不可及，相思之愁悄然弥漫。以柔笔写深愁，正是《诗经》写情的含蓄之美。
The woman's bearing and the speaker's mood answer each other, deep sorrow written in a tender hand. Slowly she moves, so graceful and slender writes the beloved's unhurried step and willowy form: slowly her composure, graceful and slender the beauty of her shape, like a slender figure drifting in the moonlight. It weighs upon my heart with quiet sorrow writes the poet's grief: quiet is the look of brooding care. The lady's serenity and the poet's trouble stand against each other; the more beautiful she is, the more unattainable; the sorrow of longing diffuses itself quietly through the unhurried rhythm, the model of deep sorrow in a tender hand, the restrained beauty of Shijing love.
月出照兮，佼人燎兮。
The moon rises, flooding all with light; oh, the lovely lady, how radiant she glows!
月亮出来光照耀啊，美人儿多么光彩啊。
The moon rises and shines down everywhere; oh, the lovely lady, how luminous she is!
重章递转，月光愈明，美人之美愈显。「照」较「皎」「皓」更见月光之普照，「燎」写美人光彩照人、如月之明，美人与月光彻底融为一体；随着月光由「皎」而「皓」而「照」，美人的形象亦由俏丽而秀丽而光彩，层层加丽。然而月光愈明，幻影愈真，而人愈不可见，相思亦愈深，以景之明写情之深，正是重章叠句的妙用。月愈明而人愈丽，幻影愈真而人愈不可见，以景之明写情之深。重章递转，境界层层加深，是「以换字写递进」的典范。
The refrain advances, moonlight brighter, the lady's beauty more manifest. Flooding shows the moonlight's overflowing light beyond clear and serene; radiant writes the beloved glowing, bright as the moon: woman and moonlight fused at last. As the moon moves from clear to serene to flooding, the lady's image moves from exquisite to elegant to luminous, beauty layered on beauty. Yet the brighter the moonlight, the truer the phantom, and the more the beloved remains unseen; longing deepens. Writing the depth of feeling through the brightness of the scene is the very use of the refrain. The advancing refrain deepens the realm layer by layer, the model of advancement through changed words.
劳心惨兮。
My heart is in pain.
叫我心里凄惨忧伤啊。
Oh, it wrings my heart with bitter, bitter grief!
重章递转，愁绪由悄而惨，层层加深。「悄」为静忧，「慅」为不安，「惨」为凄怆，三字递进，写相思之情由淡淡的忧愁化为深切的悲怆；月光愈明而人愈远，可望而不可即，遂由忧生悲。「惨」字收束全诗，如一声长叹，将月下怀人的愁思推向顶点，戛然而止而余韵悠长，正是《诗经》以一字定情、以重章递进的绝妙手法。「惨」字收束，将相思由忧推至悲，戛然而止而余韵悠长。一字定情，三字递进（悄、慅、惨），是《诗经》写心理的绝技。
The refrain advances, sorrow moving from quiet to troubled to bitter, deepening layer by layer. Quiet is still, brooding sorrow; troubled is restless unease; bitter is desolate anguish; the three words advance, writing longing that passes from faint melancholy to deep grief. The brighter the moon, the farther the beloved; visible, yet unattainable, and grief is born of longing. The word bitter closes the poem like a long sigh, pushing the moonlight longing to its peak, stopping short with a lingering aftertone, the exquisite Shijing art of fixing emotion in one word and advancing through refrain. One word fixes the feeling; three words, quiet, troubled, bitter, advance it, the Shijing mastery of inner psychology.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Both are men's love songs of the 'Airs'; 'Out from the East Gate' keeps to one plain girl amid many, 'The Moon Rises' dreams of a fair one by moonlight—contrast the moods.
《出其东门》于「如云」「如荼」的众美之中独钟「缟衣綦巾」的贫女，写男子爱情的专一；《月出》于月下怀想佼人，写男子相思的痴迷。一写「择」之专、一写「思」之深，皆以男子口吻言情，可互参《国风》爱情诗的不同风貌，亦见《郑风》《陈风》情诗风格的差异。一写「择」之专、一写「思」之深，皆以男子口吻言情，可互参《国风》爱情诗的不同风貌。《出其东门》于众美中独钟素女，《月出》于月下怀想佼人，一实一虚，各有其妙。
蒹葭 Reeds 诗经 · 同写朦胧意境、可望难即之思 Same (misty, unattainable longing)Both are misty, yearning songs; 'Reeds' writes the reed-fringed river and the long way, 'The Moon Rises' the moonlit fair one and the aching heart—read for their ethereal air.
《蒹葭》写秋水伊人、道阻且长，可望而不可即；《月出》写月下美人、劳心悄惨，如幻影而不可及。一以秋水芦苇写迷离，一以明月清辉写空灵，皆营造「可望难即」的朦胧意境，怅惘之情一脉相通，并读可尽见《诗经》写情之空灵境界，亦是后世「隔水伊人」「月下美人」两大意象的源头。一以秋水写迷离、一以明月写空灵，皆营造「可望难即」的意境，怅惘一脉相通。《蒹葭》之「在水一方」与《月出》之「月在当空」并为后世「可望难即」母题的源头。